Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? It isn’t that we don’t know what we have to do — but something always seems to get in the way.

Previously, we talked about the ways procrastination can hurt your finances — everything from getting stuck in a career rut to delaying retirement planning. However, the consequences hit more than our wallets. We put off doing things with friends and family and our relationships suffer. We put off eating right and exercising — and our health suffers. We give in to the urge to watch TV or play games and hours fly by without us accomplishing any of our goals.

We all procrastinate about something, says author Piers Steel in The Procrastination Equation. Sometimes fatigue and hunger zap our drive to stay on track. Sometimes we give in to distraction — and sometimes we just don’t want to deal with an unpleasant task.

While you can’t banish it from your life, here are some ways you can overcome procrastination.

Tips to get things done

Add challenge or novelty to the task. Not surprisingly, Steel notes the tasks we hate are the ones that we tend to postpone. (After all, who really wants to clear out the garage or tackle routine paperwork?) What makes us hate tasks isn’t the physical efforts — it’s the boredom. If we can add an element of fun or challenge to a mundane task, we’re less likely to put it off.

For instance, Steel suggests setting records or standards for yourself. For example, can you do the task in a shorter amount of time? Could you do it with one hand, or your non-dominant hand? Could you compete with a co-worker? When we turn “leaden tasks” into “golden tasks”, they’re less of a drain on our time and energy.

Make tasks relevant. Good news for boomers: Steels notes that procrastination decreases with age, and with good reason. The more life experience we have, the more we understand how those seemingly meaningless tasks are important in the “the big picture.”

To boost our motivation, Steel suggests connecting tasks to long-term goals that are meaningful to us. For example, if you love to entertain, then cleaning the house becomes a step to create an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. If you want a promotion at work, then promptly dealing with responsibilities shows your reliability.

Make goals manageable. The idea of this long-term context works in reverse too: if you find yourself put off by a large or distant goal, experts recommend breaking the process down into smaller steps or “mini-goals”.

Also, since getting started is half the battle, a mini-goal is often enough to get you over that initial hurdle. For instance, you make it a goal to walk for 10 minutes — once you get going, chances are you’ll continue.